Machine for reducing wheat and analogous grain



(No Model.)

R'. WILGOX inV S. L.. PHILLIPS. MACHINE FOR RBDUCINGWHEAT AND ANALOGUUSGRAIN.

N0. 359,586. Patented Mar."l5, 1887.

respectivedisks, and countersunk screws c,

' pending hub, C. Detachably connected to the 35 The casing D inclosestwo parallel disks, F

greater portion of its length and partially in-` UNITED l STATES PATENTGarros".

RANSFORD WILCOXAND SAMUEL L. PHILLIPS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MACHINE'FOR REDUCING WHEAT AND ANALOGOUS GRAiN.

" SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,586, dated March15, 1887.

Application filed April l0, 1986. Serial No. 198,447. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RANsnoRD WrLcoX and SAMUEL L. PHILLIPS, ofMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and i-n the State of Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Reducing Wheat and Analogous Grain; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof;

Our invention relates to machines for the reduction of wheat andanalogous grain prior to grinding, Vand has for its objects to rapidlydisintegrate the kernels without making flour, thus aiding to secure apurer grade of the ground product than is usually-the case.

This we obtainrby the construction to be hereinafter described withreference to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which*A Figure 1 represents a vertical transversesection of our machine; Fig. 2, a diagram in cross-sectioniof thedisk-faces; Fig. 3, a plan view of the lower disk-face; Fig. 4, asimilar view of the upper -disk-face; Fig. 5, a detail sectional view online'y y, Fig. 1; Figs. 6, 7, and 8 diagram sections respectively takenon lines u v, w w, and x x, Fig. 3.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents the standards, and B Bthe bridgepieces, that form the supporting-frame of our machine. Boltedor otherwisesuitably secured to the upper -iiang'ed ends of thestandards A is a horizontal table, C, that has a detable Gis a sectionalcasing, D, and to the top of this casing is suitably secured a hopper,E.V

G, that are, respectively, keyed'to vertical spindles H I. The spindle Ifor the lower disk is entirelyhollow, while the spindle II 0f the upperdisk is solid throughout the closed by the one I.

VThe disks F G are preferably provided with detachable chill-cast facesK L, that are secured in position by any suitable means, those shownconsisting of annular .ribs a, that fit corre sponding grooves bin themain portions of the that serve `to bind the parts rmly together.

` paratively By'thc construction just describedv the diskfaces arereadily replaced at a comparatively small cost when worn or fractured.The upper disk-face has its bosom d hollowed out to allow for the feedof the grain from the hopper E," the latter being usually provided witha downward extensiome, designed to iit within the bored-out enlargedupper portion, f, of the spindle H, said enlarged portion of thisspindle having passages g, through which the grain finds its way to thebosom h of the lower disk-face.

' To prevent the grain from clogging in its descent from the hopper andat the saine time insure an equal distribution through thespindle-passages y, we may employ a suitable regulator, M, the one shownconsisting of4 a hollow central stem having angular wings that extenddown into the bored-out portion of the spindle H.

A series of tangential furrows, ii', form the respective skirts of thedisk-faces K L, said furrows being narrow and concave at the perpheriesof the bosoms d h and gradually increase in width, while at the sainetime they decrease in concavity until, as the circumferences of thedisks are approached, each furrow assumes the form of an inclined plane,this construction being best illustrated by the diagram views, Figs. 6,7, and 8.

rlhe disk-furrows just described are preferably smooth and highlypolished, the greater the degree to which this finish is attained thebetter the result desired to`be accomplished by our machine. Thispeculiar construction of the disk-faces facilitates the feed of thegrain from the bosoms toward the circumferences of the skirts andprevents the kernels from being split prior to reaching the inclinedplanes, the latter being most clearly shown by Fig. 8. Keyed to thesolid or inner spindle,H, is a pulley, N, designed to be rotated at acornhigh speed by belt-connection with another pulley on'a drive-shaft,(not shown,) thus imparting a similar rotation to theupper disk, F, in adirection from right to left.

, Thus far our present machinecorresponds to the one described andillustrated in our application, No. 198,448, for a patent for a similarmachine, filed this same date.

Keyed to the hollow or outer spindle, I, is the collar la of an arm, O,and the outer end,

IOO

m, of this arm is made fast to one extremity of a spring, P, the other'extremity of the latter being made fast to one of the standards A ofthemachine orsimilarstationaryfixture. The upper disk being rotated, asabove described, causes the grain that feeds down from the hopper totravel in the furrows of the disk-faces K L toward their eircumferences,and is rolled from one to the other of the smooth polished surfaces,thereby preventing the making of flour, there being no perceptibleattrition. As the grain approaches the cireumferences of the furroweddiskfaces the kernels are severally caught between the opposing inclinedplanes at the outer termini of the furrows and continue to be rolled asbefore described. By the rotation of the upper disk, F, the lowestpoints of the inclined planes on its face K, at the outer termini of thefurrows i, willsuccessivcly approach and pass the highest points of thesimilarly-located planes of the furrows 'i' on the disk-face L, therebygradually contracting the intermediate spaces between these opposinginclined planes. This approach of the opposing inclined planes towardeach other acts to exert a gradual pressure on the kernels and causethem to split apart at their seams without being crushed.

Should the grain at any time accumulate between the opposing disk-facesin such quantity as would tend to clog and prevent the rolling movementof the kernels from furrow to furrow, the lower disk will be actuatedand yield ina direction with the line of travel ofsaid n upper disk, tothereby cushion the stroke of the latter and render such cloggingimpossible, thus preventing grinding and the consequent making of flour,as would be otherwise the case. After this operation has beenaccomplished and the pressure of the upper disk has been compensated forthe contract ing force 0f the spring P brings the disk back to itsnormal position. The split kernels fall upon the table C between theperipheries of the disks F G and casing D, and from this point may becarried off by any convenient means to suitable receptacles.

The spindle I has keyed thereto a collar, Q, that bears against aworm-wheel, R, the latter having a screw-threaded hub, R', operative ina corresponding socket in the bridge-piece B. The worm-wheel R mesheswith a worm-shaft, S, having its bearings in the standards A, andprovided with a hand-wheel, S. By operating this worm-gear the lowerspindle, G, may be vertically adjusted to vary the space between it andthe upper one, F, according to the grade of grain to be reduced.

If, desired,the grain after having been split, as above described, maybe again passed through the machine one or more times, and thus furtherdisintegrated, the proper vertical adjustment of thelower disk beingeffected to accomplish such operation.

The eye of the disk G is downwardly eX- tended, and forms the bore ofahub,G,said extension of the eye being somewhat reduced in diameter. Inthe eye of the lower disk,G,are inserted truing-blocks T, that bearagainst the spindle H, and are adjusted by screw-rods T, that extendthrough said disk. Thelower end of the spindle is trued by asimilarmeehanism operative in the bridge-piece B.

The outer spindle, I, is trued at its upper end by means of blocks Uandadj listing-screws U', said blocks being located between the hub G ofthe disk G and the hub C of the table C, the adjusting screws beingpassed through the latter. The lower end of the spindle I is trued bywedge-blocks V V', located in the pulley N, the outermost of theseblocks having screw-threaded extensions o, that receive snitable nuts,p, the latter serving to secure the necessary adjustment. To overcomefriction, we insert conesibetwcen the parts that would otherwise come indirect contact, and through the medium of suitably-arranged tubes s slubricant is conducted from oil-cups to the parts necessary to belubricated.

Having thus fully described our invention, whatwe claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for reducing wheat and analogous grain, the combinationof two parallel diskshaving theiropposing faces providedwith a suitabledress, means for imparting a continuous rotary motion to one of thedisks, and means for holding the other of said disks normally stationarywhile permitting a movement thereof in a direction with the travel ofthe former, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine for reducing wheat and analogous grain, the combinationof two parallel disks havin g theiropposin g facesprovidedwithtangential furrows that assume the form of in clined planes at their'outer termini,means for imparting a continuous rotary motion to one ofthe disks, and means for holding the other of said disks normallystationary while permitting a movement thereof in a direction with thetravel of the former, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a machine for reducing wheat and analogous grain, the combinationof two parallel diskshavingtheiropposing faces provided with a series oftangential furrows that are narrow and concave at their innerextremities, and gradually increase in width while decreasing inconeavity until their outer termini assume the form of inclined planes,means for imparting a continuous rotation to one of the disks, and meansfor holding the other of said disks normally stationary while permittinga movement thereof in a direction with the travel of the former, as andfor the purpose set forth.

4. In a machine for reducing wheat and analogous grain, the combinationof two parallel disks having their opposing faces provided with asuitable dress, a worm-wheel and shaft arranged to vertically adjust thelower disk, means for imparting a continuous rotation to one of thedisks, and means for holding the IOO IIO

IIS

other one thereof stationary while vpermitting it to yield in adirection witl'the-.travel of the former, as and for the purpose setforthV 5. In a machine for reducingwheat and analogous grain, thecombination of two parallel disks having their opposing faces providedwith a suitable dress, a \pulley keyed to the spindle of one disk for oprative connection with a drivingpulley, an ar extended from the spindleof the other dis and a suitable spring connecting said arm a d astationary fixture, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a machine for reducing wheat and analogous grain, two paralleldisks having their opposing faces provided with asuitable dress, theupper disk having a solid spindle and the lower disk having a hollowspindleithat sur- RANSFORI) WILCOX. SAMUEL L. PHILLIPS.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, N. E. OLIPHANT.

